What American Foundry Society does

The American Foundry Society (AFS) is a 125+ year-old nonprofit trade association headquartered in Schaumburg, Illinois, and the only national organization in the United States dedicated exclusively to the metalcasting industry. AFS serves metalcasting/foundry operations, casting buyers and designers (OEMs, engineers, purchasing professionals), educational institutions, and government stakeholders through a portfolio spanning publications, training, technical resources, events, industry intelligence, and regulatory advocacy. The organization's core products include Modern Casting and Casting Source magazines, the peer-reviewed International Journal of Metalcasting published in partnership with Springer Nature, the AFS Transactions series, OSHA-compliant Safety Data Sheets for all major casting alloys, the Peters-Robison Technical Library with an AI-powered advanced search, the AFSCADS casting alloy database, and the SupplierMarketplace.net B2B directory. AFS also operates the Casting Connection community platform, AFS OnLive for virtual events, and the AFS Institute delivering instructor-led, e-Learning, in-plant, and certificate-based training.

The technology backbone is a Salesforce/Force.com-based Community Hub at hub.afsinc.org that serves as the unified storefront, member portal, and event registration system, supported by digital platforms for webinars, virtual events, and community networking. AFS monetizes primarily through annual corporate and individual membership dues (tiered with a Corporate Member Advantage program), event registration for Metalcasting Congress (130th in 2026, 131st scheduled for Cleveland in April 2027), the Foundry Industry 4.0 Conference, the Foundry Leadership Summit, and the Government Affairs Fly-In; tiered publication sales (List / Member / Corporate Member pricing) for books, handbooks, SDS, and e-Learning modules; and training program fees ($1,050–$1,350 for multi-day instructor-led courses). Distribution is hybrid: direct through the AFS Store and e-Learning platform, channel/partner-based through regional and student chapters, and field sales for in-plant training. Members receive differentiated access with corporate members receiving preferential pricing across all products and services.

AFS is governed by an elected Board of Directors, is privately held with no venture capital, private equity, or parent-company backing, and reports revenue only through aggregated annual reports. Strategic differentiation rests on a content moat built over more than a century, regulatory advocacy in Washington D.C. on EPA, OSHA, tax, trade, Buy America, and workforce issues, and an ecosystem that spans corporate members, individual professionals, regional chapters, student chapters, young professionals, and women-in-metalcasting programs. Operational signals indicate active expansion of digital platforms, Industry 4.0 programming, and additive manufacturing (3D sand printing) training content in partnership with Missouri University of Science and Technology and America Makes/NCDMM.

Name

American Foundry Society

Legal name

American Foundry Society

Website

https://afsinc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1896

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The American Foundry Society is a 125+ year-old nonprofit trade association serving the U.S. metalcasting industry through membership, training, publications (Modern Casting, International Journal of Metalcasting), events, technical resources, and Washington D.C. regulatory advocacy for foundries, casting buyers, and educational institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Schaumburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Corporate and Individual Membership Dues: Annual membership fees providing access to member-only resources, publications, training discounts, and networking benefits. Corporate membership includes additional advantages such as the Corporate Member Advantage program.
2. Publications and Technical Resources: Sale of books, handbooks, technical guides, Safety Data Sheets, e-Learning modules, and the AFS Transactions series. Products are sold at tiered pricing for list, member, and corporate member rates through the AFS Store.
3. Events and Conferences: Registration fees for Metalcasting Congress, Foundry Leadership Summit, Foundry Industry 4.0 Conference, regional events, webinars, and Institute courses. Events range from free member webinars to premium multi-day conferences with registration fees.
4. Training and Education: Revenue from AFS Institute instructor-led courses, in-plant training, e-Learning modules, supervisor development programs, and certificate programs. Pricing varies by course with member discounts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

AFS is a nonprofit trade association serving the North American metalcasting industry, providing members and industry stakeholders with technical publications, professional training and certification, industry events and conferences, market intelligence, advocacy before government bodies, and access to a supplier marketplace and community platforms. Its core deliverables span editorial content (Modern Casting, International Journal of Metalcasting, Casting Source, AFS Transactions), structured learning (AFS Institute certificate programs, e-learning, in-plant training), and industry convening (Metalcasting Congress, Foundry Leadership Summit, Foundry Industry 4.0 Conference).

Product overview

The American Foundry Society operates as a membership-based trade association providing a portfolio of interconnected products and services for the metalcasting industry. The core offerings span five pillars: (1) Publications including Modern Casting magazine, the International Journal of Metalcasting (IJMC) in partnership with Springer Nature, Casting Source magazine, and AFS Transactions (annual research compilations from 2014–2025); (2) Education and Training through the AFS Institute offering instructor-led courses, Foundry E-Learning (self-paced online modules), and formal certificate programs covering foundry processes, metallurgy, quality, and management; (3) Technical Resources including Safety Data Sheets (SDS) for metalcasting alloys, technical handbooks, the Peters-Robison AFS Metalcasting Library, and casting design guides; (4) Events including Metalcasting Congress (130th in 2026, 131st in Cleveland 2027), the annual Foundry Industry 4.0 Conference, Foundry Leadership Summit, and Government Affairs Fly-In; and (5) Industry Intelligence including the Quarterly Outlook Survey and annual Metalcasting Forecast & Trends report. AFS also operates the Casting Connection community platform and SupplierMarketplace.net directory. Membership tiers (Corporate and Individual) provide differential access to resources, with Corporate Members receiving preferential pricing across all products and services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AFS Community Hub: AFS's membership portal and community hub platform for members to access resources, events, and the store.
• AFS Institute
• Modern Casting
• Casting Source
• International Journal of Metalcasting
• AFS OnLive

Products and services

• Modern Casting Magazine Monthly trade publication covering metalcasting industry news, technology, and trends for foundries, casting buyers, and industry professionals.
• International Journal of Metalcasting (IJMC)
• Casting Source Magazine
• AFS Transactions
• AFS Institute Certificate Programs
• Foundry E-Learning
• Instructor-Led Training
• In-Plant Training
• AFS Safety Data Sheets
• Metalcasting Dictionary
• Casting Design for Castability
• Metalcasting Congress
• Foundry Industry 4.0 Conference
• Foundry Leadership Summit
• Government Affairs Fly-In
• Casting Connection Community Hub
• Peters-Robison AFS Metalcasting Library
• AFS Quarterly Outlook Survey
• AFS 2026 Metalcasting Forecast & Trends
• SupplierMarketplace.net
• Casting Source Directory
• Corporate Membership Program
• Individual Membership

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Foundry Educational Foundation (FEF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFEF is a separate non-profit organization dedicated to supporting metalcasting education. AFS maintains a close relationship with FEF, referencing the organization in student chapter programs, directing students to FEF resources, and collaborating on workforce development initiatives. FEF provides scholarships and educational support that complements AFS membership benefits.
• Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMissouri S&T, through its Materials Science & Engineering Department and Wolf Foundry, partners with AFS to deliver training programs including the Design and Optimization for 3D Sand Printing course. Dr. Laura N. Bartlett serves as Wolf Associate Professor of Metallurgical Engineering and FEF Key Professor of Metal Casting Technology, representing the academic partnership. The collaboration incorporates outcomes from the IMPACT 1.0 research project funded by America Makes/NCDMM, led by Honeywell Aerospace.
• America Makes / NCDMMminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunders of the IMPACT 1.0 research project focused on surface finish improvements of 3D Sand Printed molds & cores used in development of complex aluminum aerospace castings. AFS incorporates research outcomes into training programs.
• Honeywell AerospaceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHoneywell Aerospace led the IMPACT 1.0 research project funded by America Makes/NCDMM, which focused on surface finish improvements of 3D Sand Printed molds & cores for complex aluminum aerospace castings. AFS uses a Test Casting designed for the project for demonstration in training programs.
• ASM InternationalminorOthersAFS distributes ASM International publications through its store, including the History of Metals in America book authored by Charles R. Simcoe. The relationship is a distribution/publishing partnership for technical content.
• Keramida Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFS commissioned Keramida Inc. to revise Safety Data Sheets for metalcasting alloys, ensuring OSHA compliance with current pictograms, state information, and regulatory requirements. The revised SDS products are sold through the AFS Store.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Foundry Educational Foundation (FEF): FEF is a non-profit focused specifically on metalcasting workforce development, scholarships, and university partnerships. AFS explicitly partners with FEF but FEF also operates adjacent programs (scholarships, university chapters) that compete for the same student-pipeline mission and corporate sponsorships.

Direct peers

• Steel Founders' Society of America (SFSA): SFSA is the trade association for steel foundries in North America, with direct overlap to AFS on technical publications (hosted at sfsa.org/tutorials and cross-linked from afsinc.org), training, and standards development. SFSA competes for membership among steel-casting operations that could otherwise join AFS.
• ASM International: ASM International is a materials science and engineering professional society that competes directly with AFS in metallurgy education, peer-reviewed publications (partnership with Springer), and chapter-based community. AFS already distributes ASM publications, evidencing their overlapping reach among metallurgical professionals.
• North American Die Casting Association (NADCA): NADCA is a direct metalcasting peer focused on the die casting sub-segment. It operates the same model of corporate membership, technical publications, training/certification programs (including a die casting certificate), and an annual congress — competing with AFS for member mindshare within die casting operations.
• Non-Ferrous Founders' Society (NFFS): NFFS is the trade association for non-ferrous foundries (aluminum, copper, brass, bronze), directly overlapping with AFS's primary member base of non-ferrous metalcasting operations. It competes on membership dues and shared technical guidance.

Broad incumbents

• Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME): SME is a larger, broader manufacturing trade association serving all of US manufacturing rather than just metalcasting. It is comparable because it operates a similar business model — membership dues, publications, professional certifications, conferences (e.g., MANUFACTURING USA), and workforce development — competing for the same corporate training and association budgets.
• Association for Iron & Steel Technology (AIST): AIST is a broader iron and steel industry technical association, comparable to AFS in operating conferences, technical training, peer-reviewed publications, and member-driven research — but at a larger scale and focused on steel production rather than castings specifically.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/amerfoundrysoc
• YouTubeafsinc.org/metalcasting-tv
• Facebookfacebook.com/americanfoundrysociety
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/american-foundry-society

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about American Foundry Society